Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has rejected claims by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Akufo-Addo government made 631 promises in its 2016 manifesto.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah insisted that the NPP made 388 promises.
“As we get to the 2020 national conversation period, one of the narratives they [NDC] seek to cap is a narrative of dishonesty and in order to give life to that narrative, they have to create scenarios that if indeed we made 388 promises, they will find ways of adding some 235 to make it 631 then say therefore that we have been dishonest. Part of the strategy of increasing our promises from 388 to 635 is to enable them lay a claim of dishonesty against this administration,” he said.
The NDC at a media engagement on Monday argued that the Akufo-Addo government made 631 promises in its 2016 manifesto adding that only 83 of such promises have been delivered.
NDC thus rated the Akufo-Addo government 14% [Fail] for the 83 alleged promises fulfilled.
But in a swift response, the Information Minister accused the NDC of engaging in a dishonest exercise.
“Yes, there was a lot of drama, flashes, and screams in their presentation today, but if you strip it of all the drama, the screams and the flashes, in substance, if you take the form away, there were two main claims they made which the government believes must be corrected in time. The first one is the claim that whilst government in its report in February this year, outlined 388 promises and accounted for those 388 promises, they (NDC) have discovered an extra 235 promises which the government of Ghana has hidden or refused to account for. In their opinion, the NPP administration made a total of 368 promises and has been intellectually dishonest in not accounting for 631 and 388 rather just to downplay our achievements.”
“Secondly, they make a claim that the NPP has failed in delivering 86% of this supposed 631 promises, in other words, they claim we have only achieved 14% of this supposed 631 promises,” he said.
NDC’s claims
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday, June 15, 2020, assessed the NPP’s manifesto as against the promises achieved.
A presentation on the promises of the NPP which was led by Samual Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu MP, said the fulfilment of the NPP’s promises was woeful despite the NDC’s leniency.
“You are given four good years of the destiny of the people and all you can do is 14 percent. And even this we have been so generous. You scored an F.”
He further accused the government of “mind-boggling” intellectual dishonesty because it was not being candid with citizens.
“You don’t even have the courage to apologise for it and try to see you make amends but you think you can lie your way through by understating the number of promises that you make.”
